Broken AC
by Pheather McKelle
Summary: The AC in Stark Tower craps out the one hot, humid day it's needed, so the Avengers go out for burgers, and Steve gets a little more than what he expected. [Steve x OC kinda? Oneshot]


**Broken AC**

**An Avengers Fanfiction**

**by Pheather McKelle**

_I do not own the Avengers nor their characters, I'm just a girl with a dream. :3_

It was another sweltering hot day in New York city. The humidity alone had driven most of the residents indoors; even without the heat it was an oppressive fog that dragged down one's energy, like sliding through a bog. It didn't help that the temperature was well above eighty degrees, making the air above the pavement shimmer like stripes of ribbon and the sidewalks to blister feet even through shoes. Grass wilted in the cracks and trees sagged in the intervals along the street, not a single green thing to be found. The buildings, while providing shade, did not lessen the soaring temperatures within the city. And to make matters worse, the air conditioning in Stark Tower had malfunctioned, effectively turning the multi-story skyscraper into a sauna. The inhabitants inside melted in the almost unbearable heat, fanning themselves with whatever object they happened to have in their hands despite the electric fans placed every few feet inside the main living levels of the tower.

The normally uptight Captain America had shed his customary long khaki pants in favor of an old pair of Tony's shorts. Thor, who would normally parade around in his red and silver armor, exchanged his flamboyant cape and breastplate for Midgardian summer attire. Tony simply strutted about his tower in boxers and occasionally socks, causing Pepper to sequester him to his lab which, being below-ground, was somewhat cooler than the upstairs floors and far less opportunities for any photographers to snap his picture. Even Loki, who insisted that he wouldn't wear Midgardian clothes even for a second, found himself donning a pair of old black shorts and a T-shirt, being thoroughly grumpy about the whole process. Clint had taken one naked step out of his apartment before Natasha yelled at him to at least put on some pants. The only person who hadn't worn the least amount of clothing modestly possible was Natasha herself, who still donned his SHIELD uniform like he did every morning.

"How are you not dying?" Clint groaned, his characteristically spiked blond hair flopping over like a dying flower no matter how many times he spiked it up.

"I don't sweat." Natasha replied, perched on the edge of the kitchen island, surveying the streets below.

"What do you mean, you don't sweat? Everyone sweats." Bruce protested, attempting to gain respite from the heat by fanning himself with the TV remote.

"I just don't sweat." Natasha repeated, not turning his gaze away from the streets. This earned the envious and somewhat perplexed glares of everyone in the room, including Thor, who was currently airing his armpits, a sheen of sweat on his tanned and muscled form. Loki eyed his brother distastefully, propping his long, pale legs on the coffee table. Pepper was too tired to tell him to stop, pathetically waving a hand before rolling her eyes and flopping back on the headrest of the chair.

Tony came upstairs a moment later, covered in machine grease, his exposed chest and plaid boxers stained black, a layer of grime beneath his fingernails. With a grunt, he flopped to the marginally cool floor, stretching so his extremities spread over as great a surface area as he could. Pepper glared at him but made no comment.

"What are we gonna do today?" he asked groggily, rubbing his eye with the heel of his hand, effectively smearing his whole face with black grease.

"You're looking at it." Steve grumbled, the white muscle tee that he wore soaked in sweat, both from his body and from using it as a cloth to wipe off his sweaty brow.

"Yea, well this is boring. Let's go somewhere with air conditioning." Tony prompted, nudging Loki's bare foot with his knuckle. "How about it, Reindeer Games? Do frost giants melt?" Had Loki not been incapacitated by the heat, he would have killed Stark. He contented himself by stepping on his hand, and Tony mumbled something about being him being a jerk before pulling his hand away.

"I am thoroughly tired of this heat. I agree with the Man of Iron." Thor announced, springing up as fast as his dulled reflexes would allow, scraping his blond hair into a ponytail. Bruce Banner gave an almost imperceptible nod, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'm in." Natasha said, standing without as much complaint as the rest. Pepper stood as well and grasped Tony's proffered hand, groaning when black grease stained her palms.

"Tony, take a shower or something." Pepper scowled, trotting to the kitchen to wipe off her hands. "And put on some pants!"

After a hasty shower and a slight confusion over appropriate public clothing, Tony was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, looking like any other Manhattan man. The others hadn't changed except for Loki, who insisted that he at least wear long pants. The streets were, if possible, even hotter than the Tower. The group of friends avoided touching, the feel of warm, sweaty bodies almost unbearable. The low afternoon sun seemed like a huge blister in the sky, oozing yellow and orange light and bathing the island in russet colors. Donning a pair of sunglasses, Tony led the way to a local restaurant. It was only after they had sufficiently cooled down that the Avengers realized how hungry they were. They were seated almost immediately. Clearly, no one else dared to venture out of their air conditioned apartments.

Tony sipped his iced tea thoughtfully, relishing the cool breeze of the air that tickled his damp skin. Now that they were indoors and the temperature difference was significantly lower, they adopted a lighter, jovial mood, tossing jokes back and forth as they waited for their late lunch.

Steve sighed with contentment, the cool water blazing a path down to his stomach and pooling in a reservoir of ice which slowly spread to his extremities. He sat next to Loki, the shock of the temperature difference giving his skin a slightly blue appearance, and it was like sitting next to an ice sculpture. Thor rested his forearms on the cool wood top of the table, occasionally sipping from his iced water. Suddenly, he sputtered and gagged, and the slight smirk on Loki's lips left no doubt as to the perpetrator.

"Why must you always change my drink!" Thor demanded while Bruce awkwardly thumped his back as the demigod attempted to rid his mouth of the bitter taste. With a snap of his fingers, the drink resumed being water, and Thor took a heady gulp. "Vinegar." Thor grimaced. "That was worse than blood instead of wine."

"If you like, I will change it to blood next time." Loki grinned wickedly and Thor glared at him over the rim of his glass.

Well, at least they were all in a better mood.

"This place has the best burgers in Manhattan." Tony informed them as eight plates were distributed around the table. Tony immediately grabbed his burger - which was the size of his face - and took a monstrous bite. Clint and Thor followed suit, readily stuffing the obscene amount of meat and toppings in their mouths. Pepper cut hers in half, but still took decent bites. Natasha picked hers apart, discarding several toppings before eating the noticeably deflated burger. Bruce eyed his before hesitantly taking a bite, nodding when the taste was to his satisfaction. Loki scowled but resigned himself to less than satisfactory Midgardian food and watching how Thor ate his before attempting to copy him, but somehow half the ingredients fell out of the bottom of the burger and onto his plate. Steve had had burgers before, but none that were like this. The meat was over an inch thick, and the sheer amount of extra ingredients left him wondering if he really was eating a burger or a disguised salad.

The explosion of flavor left no doubt in his mind. The caramelized onions, crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, applewood-smoked bacon, special sauces, and perfectly-cooked and seasoned beef all melded together in perfect harmony and he actually closed his eyes and groaned. He hadn't had anything quite this good in a long time.

"Enjoying it, Cap?" Tony inquired playfully through a mouthful of burger. Steve nodded, too absorbed in the taste sensation of this simple patty of ground-up beef.

"This Midgardian food is most strange. What do you call this again?" Thor boomed from across the table, his burger already mostly gone, the remains of which he mopped up with a leftover bit of bun.

"It's a hamburger, Pointbreak." Tony mumbled through a mouthful of food, a stray bit of lettuce flying from his mouth like a moth and landing in the middle of his plate. Natasha wrinkled her nose, chewing the last of her burger. Thor grunted his approval, taking another sip of water. Suddenly, Tony's phone beeped, a window flashing on the transparent screen.

"What is it?" Pepper asked as Tony's face broke into a smile.

"Good news guys, the air conditioner is fixed!" he smiled, stowing his phone back in his pocket. Relieved talk skittered around the table at the thought of going back to a cool Stark Tower. Steve finished off his burger, leaning contentedly back in his seat, starting to feel sleepy. After about another hour of chatter, Tony paid the tab and the Avengers again took to the muddled streets, an elated spring to their step. Steve was quiet and introverted during the walk back, and almost bumped into Tony's back when he came to an abrupt halt.

"What's going on?" Steve asked, peering over the top of Tony's head, but even with his height, he couldn't see much over the tops of people's heads.

"Street dancers." Tony said, weaving through the crowd. The others seemed to have paused in their trek back to the tower and avidly watched whoever was dancing. Loud modern music with the bass so loud it made the streets rumble blared over the heads of the onlookers, and through a gap in the crowd, Steve saw what was attracting their attention, and it was no silver spray-painted robot man.

The woman who was dancing had exotic features, with wide-spaced hazel eyes and high cheekbones. The long, low-rising skirt which twirled with each twist of her wide hips had a long slit which ran up to the top of her thigh, and flashes of her smooth caramel skin could be seen as she danced to the contemporary beat. Her arms were graceful as she twirled in response to the beat dropping, suddenly flying into a flurry of well-timed, almost robotic dance movements. Tony and the other Avengers were spell-bound as she did things with her abdominal muscles that none of them could begin to repeat.

Steve watched with amazement. Women like this just didn't exist during his time period, and it captivated him even more than the others just as much as her moves. There was more than awe in his stare: it was genuine curiosity.

The song ended all too soon and the woman bowed low to the ground. The audience clapped, tossing coins and wadded-up dollar bills into a small bucket on the ground that Steve hadn't noticed before. The woman smiled broadly when Tony deposited two twenty-dollar bills, and she winked slyly at him. As the crowd dispersed, Steve hung back, a five dollar bill in his hand. He walked somewhat awkwardly forward, and dropped it in. The bill fluttered to the ground just as the woman bent to retrieve the bucket

"Sorry." Steve smiled awkwardly, kneeling to grab the bill just as the woman reached for it herself. "Oh, sorry." he apologized again, laughing tightly.

"Oh, no problem." the woman chuckled, stuffing the bill in her pocket.

"You were really good." Steve said lamely, now noticing that the woman was only a few inches off from a level stare; taller than most, including Natasha.

"Thanks. Your moves aren't too bad yourself." She replied confidently, a demure smile on her face. Steve fumbled for an answer, unsure as to which moves she was referring to. The woman laughed and flipped her hair out of her eyes. "I saw you during the battle of New York. You saved my friend." she cleared up.

"Oh, it was nothing." Steve began, floundering for something to say.

"I'm Bridget." she said, extending a hand. Steve shook it somewhat awkwardly.

"Steve Rogers." he said, his somewhat graceless way of going was oddly charming. Bridget smiled and hefted her bucket.

"I'll see you around, Steve." she said, strolling off.

"Yea." Steve added as an almost afterthought, more to himself than Bridget. "Wait; what are you doing next Saturday?" he asked quickly. Bridget turned more with her hips, her rib cage seeming delayed in their reaction.

"Going to that coffee shop over there, care to join me?" she asked, effectively turning his invitation around on him.

"Uh, sure, seven?" he confirmed.

"Sure. See you then." with a wink she walked off, disappearing down a side street with her bucket of change. He stood there for several seconds, watching her stride down the sidewalk, when Tony clapped his shoulder.

"That was painful." He remarked. Steve would've scowled had he not been in such a good mood. "But at least you're moving on." Tony trotted after the others, with Steve following close behind, feeling as though there was a puncture in the balloon of happiness that swelled inside him. Natasha glanced back and saw his downcast features, so she slowed down to walk with him.

"Peggy is older than you are." she started rather untactfully. "She's moved on. So should you." Natasha tried again.

"I know, it's just…" Steve glanced back, Bridget's figure barely noticeable. Natasha looked back as well.

"Steve, if you don't at least go out for coffee with this poor woman, I swear to god I will never let you hear the end of this." she started hard, and Steve saw the minor metaphor in the statement. He smiled and nodded, feeling a little better. "Now hurry up, believe it or not, I'm sweating like a pig in this." Natasha grimaced and Steve chuckled, speeding up his pace so they reached Stark Tower with the rest of them.

There were groans of ecstasy as they were blasted with a wave of cold air, Loki actually flashing blue before reverting to his normal pale complexion. The upper levels were like an ice box; they had left the fans going. Unplugging them turned out to be a task that left them actually cold for the first time that day, and after the blades had ceased to spin, the Avengers collapsed gratefully onto the couches overlooking the inky skyline of New York.


End file.
